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Sports

NBA Stars at Mira Costa Bring It Home

Blake Griffin, Derrick Williams, Darius Morris, Andre Iguodala and other NBA stars return to Fisher Gym in fundraiser for Mira Costa athletics.

When Eric Mochalski looked around the court, he could hardly believe his eyes—to his left was the current NBA Rookie of the Year and Slam Dunk champion and to his right was the number two pick in the 2011 NBA draft.

Mochalski, a 2010 Mira Costa High graduate and current sophomore outside hitter for the University of Standford's volleyball team, and the NBA players were on Friday and Saturday.

Some of the biggest names in professional basketball played against each other in the school's Fisher Gym. Mochalski was not only on the floor but also looked as if he fit right in with the talented group. 

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"I think I did well because they invited me to come back and play with them again," Mochalski said.

He was named to Volleyball Magazine’s All-America second team as a senior at Mira Costa.

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"It was amazing to be on the court with guys I watch on TV and who I wanted to be like just a couple of years ago. This will be a story in my family for a long time and something I will tell my grandchildren about," he said.

Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers), Derrick Williams (Minnesota Timberwolves), Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers), Darius Morris (L.A. Lakers), Jordan Hamilton (Dallas Mavericks), and Glen Dandridge (Denver Nuggets) were part of the all-star cast that put on a dazzling aerial display for the fans in attendance. 

"We came to put on a show," Williams said. 

He was the Pac-10 Player of the Year last season while leading the Arizona Wildcats to an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

"We all work out here [Mira Costa] with our trainer and he thought that this would be a good way for us to give back to this community that has welcomed us with open arms," Williams said.

Williams, who was the No. 2 pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves and played high school basketball in La Mirada, had the move of the weekend when he went past Vince Carter and threw the ball off the backboard, catching it in mid flight before putting the ball through his legs and slamming it through the net.

Williams prompted a standing ovation from the crowd and the other players. 

"That’s what this was all about," Williams said about the dunk. "We kind of had an agreement that we weren’t going to try to block people’s dunk attempts because that’s what the fans were paying for."

For Morris, the 41st pick of the 2011 NBA Draft by the L.A. Lakers, this was a chance to play in front of his family and friends at the school where his brother Dewayne was a star, he said.

"I have a lot of memories in this gym when I was a kid because of my brother," said Morris, who led Windward Academy in West L.A. to the 2009 California State Championship while being voted the CIF-SS Player of the Year before taking his game to the University of Michigan the last two seasons.

"I never got a chance to play here in high school but I always wanted to. Basically I’m a South Bay guy and this was my chance to let the people of the South Bay know how special they are to me," Morris said.

The NBA lockout uncertainty has put a slight damper on what Morris described as being the most exciting time in his life. 

"It’s [the lockout] out of my control," said Morris, who lived in Redondo Beach, Inglewood and Gardena while growing up as kid. "Having grown up in Los Angeles, I understand exactly what the Lakers mean to the city and how special this opportunity is for me and my family. It really is a dream come true."

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